Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Colonial Adventures => Topic started by: V on July 18, 2008, 05:43:43 PM
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I hope this thread will give some background to the project that I am developing and may encourage others to try something new. This may give you an idea why Tingtong Police are so well armed!
Bear in mind this is utterly fictional and all my own design... so historically figures and things may appear somewhat outta sink as I buy stuff I like! Mainly my FFL officer with a C96 Mauser who is too cool a figure not to have leading my FFL detachment! lol
I will move over the Tingting Police post so maybe an Admin could delete it and I will add all new pics to this thread.
Finally, thanks to all the guys at this forum who have posted pics. I may not post much here but you have all provided my fevered mind with lots of inspiration...
The following is taken from Professor Wilson Cartwright's "Travels and Tribulations in Tingtong"...
A History of Tingtong Province and the Cult of the Jade Dragons
The Chinese province of Tingtong has been linked with the Jade Dragon Cult since the cult came into being during the late 12th Century in the province. The province of Tingtong has always been a relatively rich province having good fertile farming lands and a seaport. The province also has two major rivers, the Ying and the Yang, that have always been used to transport goods around the province and to the port at Tingtong. For these reasons, the province has always enjoyed reasonable prosperity and its inhabitants have been spared the worst of famines and droughts. However for the same reason it has also been a prime target for invading forces.
It was during the Mongol invasions of the late 12th century, during the Song Dynasty, that the Jade Dragons first came into being. After having the province suffer at the hands of the Mongol invaders and their allies, the cult began to form in the rural north of the province, its sole aim being the destruction of the invader. The cult gained popularity quickly and began a brutal guerrilla war against the Mongol invaders. After a number of successful attacks, the cult came to the notice of Kublai Khan who ruthless suppressed it and its followers. The cult seemed to have been destroyed and was not seen again during the Mongol rule of China.
Even under Mongol rule, Tingtong continued to flourish, and this wealth may have been a reason for the lack of support for the cult. Indeed little was heard of the cult again till the mid-19th century when it again surfaced as the influx of Europeans grew. By the end of the 19th Century, a European governor under remit from the Emperor effectively ruled Tingtong city, and European traders and business flourished. While the urban Chinese in Tingtong benefited greatly from the European presence, those in the rural areas did not and as the gulf grew between the two, the cult resurfaced, again in the north of the province. This time they were opposed to European influence and control in the province and also against those Chinese who supported it.
In 1886 the first attacks occurred by cult members. During that year the attacks were limited against Chinese traders and merchants and their corpses were often found brutally mutilated and left on show as a warning to others. Despite the brutality of the attacks the Tingtong Police Force, comprised of Europeans, bolstered by native Chinese, did little to stop the attacks. This was a dangerous mistake. By 1889, the Jade Dragons had grown in strength and popularity and that year saw the first attacks on Europeans. In March 1889 the missionary family of the Reverend Frobisher, were slaughtered in their church in the north of the province. In the following months the attacks on Europeans grew closer and closer to the city of Tingtong. The Tingtong Police found it increasingly hard to apprehend cult members as they had the support of the rural population and seemed to almost vanish when pursued. In the winter of 1889 several attacks occurred in the city itself and on two occasions, Tingtong Police patrols were ambushed and massacred. By the end of the year the situation was reaching a critical stage as fear among the Europeans and the Chinese who had grown wealthy from them feared the worse as Jade Dragon attacks reached a crescendo around Christmas that year. On Christmas Day the Jade Dragons assassinated the Governor, Colonel Philip Harding, and killed his family and servants, leaving the mutilated corpses for the police to find.
This was the act that finally pushed the Europeans into strong action. As the Chinese Emperor refused to send troops to the province, the British at Hong Kong ordered Major Oswald Barclay to take command of the province and despatched him, along with the gunboat HMS Firefly, a detachment of Naval infantry and soldiers from the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry, to restore order in the province and eradicate the Jade Dragons. Despite this force, Barclay found it too small to do much than restore order in Tingtong itself and the province remained under cult control. For this reason, Barclay asked for further support, especially cavalry and more regular infantry, to allow him to conduct offensive sweeps of the countryside and begin a policy of extermination regarding the cult. Barclay also took it upon himself to approach the other European nations with interests in Tingtong and one of the first extra forces to arrive was a small detachment of the French Foreign Legion under the command of Lieutenant Rene Vallins. This unit would go on to make a desperate stand at the small post established to control the road to Tingtong city from the north of the province and defeat a much larger Jade Dragon force before being relieved by a British force.
As we visit the province it is one in much turmoil. Further British troops have yet to arrive, though they are on the way, and Barclay faces a difficult task in order to maintain order and to take the fight to the cult. Rumours persist that the Jade Dragons have infiltrated the Tingtong Police force and a number of European militias have been set up to protect warehouses and people and their property. The situation is on a knife-edge and a mass attack by the Jade Dragons looks likely before further troops arrive…
Jade Dragon Cult members march through the village of Guangxo
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Boxer-tianjing-left.jpeg/300px-Boxer-tianjing-left.jpeg)
Jade Dragon Cultist from the 'Dragonmen' unit
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Boxer1900.jpg/140px-Boxer1900.jpg)
Tingtong Port Police Detachment
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/BoxerJapaneseMarines.jpg)
The corpses of executed Jade Dragon cultists on the beach near Tingtong Port
(http://wind-drifter.com/NavyYears/page09b(22).jpg)
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(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/EuropeanTingtongPolice002.jpg)
Tingtong Province is a wealthy rural area with good trade links and the European colonised port of Tingtong that has become a 'free' city, much like Shanghai would. Tingtong city and the surrounding area is patroled by a European Police force, European troops and locally recruited police troops. At the time when the project is set, Tingtong province is plagued by bandits, picking on trade ships and caravans, and the insiduous 'Cult of the Jade Dragon' who are gaining popularity and wish to rid the province of its european influence and control.
The officers see in the photograph are ex-British soldiers now serving in the Tingtong Police Force. They are seen here in the normal working dress of the force for general day-to-day operations and patrols outside the city limits. The sargeants are distinguished by the white ribbon across the chest. They are armed with a truncheon and a service revolver. A standard patrol would consist of 2 - 3 European constables and 6-10 Chinese Policemen. The native troops dress is of a similar pattern, the same colours but with a different headgear to distinguish them from their European counterparts. They are generally armed with rifles, though some on duty in the city carry pistols or shotguns. These small patrols police the city and the rural areas around the city but they obviously have far less influence and control once they leave the city. While in the city most locals are very friendly to Europeans, deriving their income from them, the locals in the rural areas are far less inclined towards dealing with them. This can lead to problems for the police when trying to track criminals and bandits outside the city.
In recent months the police force has been called upon more and more to deal with armed bandits and members of the cult that have been targetting Europeans and their business and also those locals who support them. For this reason the British gunboat, HMS Firefly, has recently been stationed in Tingtong and has deployed its complement of marines and naval troops to bolster the cities garrison and conduct patrols along the Ying and Yang rivers. Further troops are on the way from other British garrisons and other European states as the tensions in the area rise and the threat from the Jade Dragon cult becomes more pronounced.
All stock Westwind figures apart from the centre figure that had his arm removed and replaced with one from the Perry plastic ACW cavalry box set.
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What a wonderful background setting! :-*
Makes me want to know more about Tingtong.
The constables really look the part. The colour scheme looks great and the paint job as always great. 8)
Looking forward to hearing more about the events as they unfold.
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From the Red Dragon sect...
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/01jadedragons001.jpg)
Painted using GW washes... Makes it alot quicker! Loads more to do but Im chipping away at it slowly in small groups.
Members of the Jade Dragon Cult ambush three Tingtong Police Constables!
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/01jadedragons002.jpg)
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what moudle range are the Red Dragons?
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And when do we get your "how to" on the washes?
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what moudle range are the Red Dragons?
Redoubt Boxers... A bit dodgy but they work ok. Needed ALOT of cleaning up... the flash was terrible.
And when do we get your "how to" on the washes?
Once I find something that shows it up well... Which should be in about 2 batches time... Got some more police to do and the wash shows uo well on them.
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Some very nice work there, I really like the idea of the Jade Dragon Cult
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Once I find something that shows it up well... Which should be in about 2 batches time... Got some more police to do and the wash shows uo well on them.
Excellent, I look forward to it.
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From the Blue Dragon Sect this time...
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/02jadedragons001.jpg)
..and the Jade Dragon Cult so far...
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/02jadedragons002.jpg)
Really enjoying these figures... Only two hours work for 5 figures... Its great! May not be the highest quality but using the washes gets me to a stage where I can play games that much quicker! Will be interesting to see how the project looks when completed using the washes and if the lower quality is that noticable on the tabletop. Plus I like the bright colours... Very theraputic after years of khaki and field grey!
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well they look great V
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Very nice combinations of colors that you use there. The blue looks realy great so far. And what for a color you have used for that cyan trousers?
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"Go ahead Cultist... Make my day..."
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/commandant006.jpg)
Formerly captain of the gunboat HMS Terrible, Gaunt is now Commandant of the Tingtong Police Force. At over 6' 5" he towers over most people and is reknowed for his quick temper and excellent shooting skills.
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/commandant005.jpg)
Painted in blue... But looks almost black in the pics. So quick to do with the GW Washes! :thumbsup:
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I'm really starting to wonder about these GW washes! People keep posting the coolest-looking miniatures using them!
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Realy nice. :P
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I really like your background. Exceedingly well thought out and exciting, I am feeling quite sorry for the Europeans and Police already.
Your painting is sublime :-*
Dodge
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First batch finished... Managed to get 20 done this morning! Only took about five hours for the whole lot.
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/001JadeDragon-FirstWave001.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/001JadeDragon-FirstWave003.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/001JadeDragon-FirstWave002.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/001JadeDragon-FirstWave004.jpg)
Now to await the second batch... and start the European types...
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Excellent stuff there. 8)
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Its great to see this project come to life. I am looking forward to seeing some terrain shots in due course. What are you going to use for buildings?
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I agree. I like your vibrant colours, the use of the washes and especially the way you've done the long grass on the bases. Very effective!
How did you do it? My attempts at long grass tend to look like they belong in a field on the day after a British music festival :(
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Man those are well good :-* That would take me 5 months
Dodge
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Its great to see this project come to life. I am looking forward to seeing some terrain shots in due course. What are you going to use for buildings?
That's what I'm wondering. Anybody recommend good Chinese/ Boxer era buildings out there? The only stuff I know that might work is the John Jenkins Designs Samurai stuff but it's probably no good for the towns etc..
Brilliant stuff. You are making me want to dabble in another period!!
Love to see a gunboat 'Sand Pebbles' style to fit in with this. And it can't be long before some European Power starts supplying weapons to those cultists to destabilise the region to their advantage.....
Excellent painting and at a good rate of knots! 20 in a morning???
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I like your figures. But which figure is that? That big gun.
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/001JadeDragon-FirstWave004.jpg)
Now to await the second batch... and start the European types...
Thanks.
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Its great to see this project come to life. I am looking forward to seeing some terrain shots in due course. What are you going to use for buildings?
That's what I'm wondering. Anybody recommend good Chinese/ Boxer era buildings out there? The only stuff I know that might work is the John Jenkins Designs Samurai stuff but it's probably no good for the towns etc..
Monolith Designs produces Chinese bulidings in 28mm. They are very nice multi part buildings.
Old Glory are re-releasing their Boxer rebellion Legation buildings soon I believe as well.
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First batch finished... Managed to get 20 done this morning! Only took about five hours for the whole lot.
I've beheaded people for less >:( ;)
What colour(s) did you use for the skin? I'm always curious about oriental skin ::)
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What colour(s) did you use for the skin? I'm always curious about oriental skin ::)
[/quote]
I bet you are! lol
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Tonights quickie...
First batch of Naval Infantry...
Has a 'sargeant' marked up for recognition on the tabletop and Master Bates... The young firebrand of HMS Gunbird!
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/001Navalinfantry002.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/001Navalinfantry001.jpg)
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Lovely. Where's Seaman Staines? lol 8)
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:-*
Very nice project you have going there.
Excellent mini's!
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Capitaine Dreyfus - Bodyguard to Professor Hardwick
Once a valiant Legionaire, with the scars to match, Dreyfus is now a hired gun after an incident involving a Generals daughter, 2 litres of Bordeaux and a tub of vaseline...
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/001CapitaineDreyfus002.jpg)
Artizan figure... Well chuffed as he only took an hour and a bit to do!
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Captain Keene and his brave men, ready for action!
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/001armyTroops001.jpg)
Sergeant-Major MacNutt points out the cultists lair to Sir Sidney Rough-Diamond...
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/001armyTroops003.jpg)
Petty Officer Dempsey, Miss Darcy and her uncle, Sir Sidney Rough-Diamond
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/001armyTroops002.jpg)
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Excelent work as usual.
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...Sergeant-Major MacNutt points out the cultists lair to Sir Sidney Rough-Diamond...
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/001armyTroops003.jpg)
Doesn't look a bit like Sid James! :D I really must order some of those Empress Miniatures Brits!
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How DO you get that grass to stand upright like that???
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Great stuff, really enjoying seeing this project come together. Not sure what Sir Sidney is up to. Last I remember he was fighting the Prussians back in England. He does get around. :)
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Fantastic, superb paintjob and bases!
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How DO you get that grass to stand upright like that???
Siflor tufts from Antenociti... Dont be put off by the price. Well worth and you get so many figures done with them.
Great stuff, really enjoying seeing this project come together. Not sure what Sir Sidney is up to. Last I remember he was fighting the Prussians back in England. He does get around. :)
Sir Sidney likes to put himself about a bit alright...
Well, thats the first batch of figures done. As I await the arrival of batch two... We are gonna get the campaign underway, tomorrow will be the first game!
Looking forward to more figures coming...
Especially those mysterious Russian sailors. ;)
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V, since the start of this thread I've been meaning to ask you what your painting method is with these miniatures. Specifically, how do you combine the washes with more traditional techniques to get it all to come together so nicely as it does? I half-presume there is at least some highlighting involved.
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Well the more I use these GW washes the more I find what they can do... and what they cant do.
But they really speed things up. Some colours I highlight and then wash, with other base colour, wash and then base colour again for highlight. It depends on the colour really.
Part of the reason for this project was to spend a good bit of time using these washes and they are good. I have started combining two different washes to get deeper colours on the model. Whats nice is the sheer variety of effects you can get. One thing I have noticed though is that the better the quality of figure, the better results you get.
I really will get my finger out and do a tutorial!
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I have started combining two different washes to get deeper colours on the model.
Do you mix them? Or apply one after the other?
I just had a go at a (westwind rage) zombie, first a heavy purple wash over very pale skin/bone, then a heavy drybrush of rotting flesh, followed by a wash of sepia. Interesting effect, that sepia on rotting flesh ;D o_o
I think I'm going to try one with a basecoat of field grey, drybrushed with rotting flesh, and then washed with sepia... just for trying it... ;)
I shall have to buy me some of those tufts, definitely!
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I have started combining two different washes to get deeper colours on the model.
Do you mix them? Or apply one after the other?
I just had a go at a (westwind rage) zombie, first a heavy purple wash over very pale skin/bone, then a heavy drybrush of rotting flesh, followed by a wash of sepia. Interesting effect, that sepia on rotting flesh ;D o_o
I think I'm going to try one with a basecoat of field grey, drybrushed with rotting flesh, and then washed with sepia... just for trying it... ;)
I shall have to buy me some of those tufts, definitely!
Ive just done twenty GW Zombies experimenting with the washes with four different skin colours , not happy with some of them but I like using the washes . I'm now doing five John Jenkins , five Copplestone plus two Westwind lady Zombies . I'm getting better at using the washes and will probobly start a thread on them if I can take better photos.
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I have started combining two different washes to get deeper colours on the model.
Do you mix them? Or apply one after the other?
I just had a go at a (westwind rage) zombie, first a heavy purple wash over very pale skin/bone, then a heavy drybrush of rotting flesh, followed by a wash of sepia. Interesting effect, that sepia on rotting flesh ;D o_o
I think I'm going to try one with a basecoat of field grey, drybrushed with rotting flesh, and then washed with sepia... just for trying it... ;)
I shall have to buy me some of those tufts, definitely!
Ive just done twenty GW Zombies experimenting with the washes with four different skin colours , not happy with some of them but I like using the washes . I'm now doing five John Jenkins , five Copplestone plus two Westwind lady Zombies . I'm getting better at using the washes and will probobly start a thread on them if I can take better photos.
We're straying off topic, but I'll be looking forward to that. I'm slowly building a zombie horde for Dead Walk Again and Future Wars.
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A few pics from the first game...
Commandant Gaunt and his charge, Miss Darcy, are visiting a ruined customs post recently destroyed by the Jade Dragon cult, when they are ambushed by a number of Dragons!
Luckily, Captain Keene is nearby as is Petty Officer Dempsey, whose two patrols rush to the rescue...
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/Game1004.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/Game1003.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/Game1005.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/Game1006.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/Game1010.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/Game1011.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/Game1027.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/Game1028.jpg)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u320/Showcase_Ireland/Death%20in%20Tingtong/Game1029.jpg)
The Jade Dragons were wiped out to a man... and only managed to kill one Police Constable... Even though getting close to kidnapping Miss Darcy who promptly shot dead her assailant with her revolver...
Rules worked well... But proved I need to paint alot more Chinese...
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Smashing, just smashing. Wonderful table layout.
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Great looking table to go with the great looking troops.
Could I request a quick walkthrough on painting the naval troops? I've got a couple of units to get done for October and I like the look of those.
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Once again, really nice and a ripping yarn.
Sorry if I missed reading this, but what rules are you playing to? TSATF?
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Wonderful. That's the level I'm striving to reach with my upcoming work on a segmented NW Frontier table.
That writing on the mission wall must be a Chinese variant of the classic 'Yankee go home!', right?
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I just stumbled across this thread...
As usual I am deeply impressed by what people actually do. It's really great. The table looks stunning. And the models are just as good. Impressive speed you have painting models to that standart!
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Once again, really nice and a ripping yarn.
Sorry if I missed reading this, but what rules are you playing to? TSATF?
Im using 'Fire & Steel' for the rules. Work well... Even If I did ignore the rules recommendation that 'natives' need twice as many troops as 'Europeans'... Still that will be rectified by another bout of painting. :D
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Hey V, old thing. What size tufts are those, if you don't mind me asking?
I'm looking to order some and they seem to come in all different lengths. My mind sometimes struggles to work in millimetres.
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Great looking table. Lovely terrain :)
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Absolutely.
And a gaming pal and I (we played LotR BC yesterday) just agreed to order some tuft-sheets :D
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Hey V, old thing. What size tufts are those, if you don't mind me asking?
I'm looking to order some and they seem to come in all different lengths. My mind sometimes struggles to work in millimetres.
The ones I use for 28mm are 6mm Two-Tone Summer tufts.
For 20mm I use 4mm tufts.
If you are using 28's then go for the 6mm tufts and pay the extra for the two-tone as its well worth it.
You will get enough for around 200+ 28mm figures depending how many you add to a base! I usually use two or three at most. Peel them off the backing sheet and stick down with a tiny bit of superglue.
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Thanks. I already went ahead and ordered some 4mm and 6mm anyway. Went for the 2-tone browny-yellow shade. Thought that would look good for my Masai. Also got a green one, though I forget which it was, for general purpose.
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Thanks. I already went ahead and ordered some 4mm and 6mm anyway. Went for the 2-tone browny-yellow shade. Thought that would look good for my Masai. Also got a green one, though I forget which it was, for general purpose.
I use the two-tone brown ones for all my Desert stuff... Looks spot-on. Will be perfect for Masai.
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Got my tufts today. Now just have to figure out how to apply them.
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Ordered a 'sample set' yesterday, as Plynkes had bought all those I wanted.. lol - with a few other things thrown in...
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Got my tufts today. Now just have to figure out how to apply them.
Do you have any idea how depressing it is to hear you folks talk about receiving things only a day or two after ordering them! :( I usually have to wait weeks for things to work their way through the system. Although, I must admit that I once received something the next day - nearly had a heart attack! Weird path, though. Product made in Japan, ordered in Canada, shipped from USA!
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Antenociti's is only about 30 miles from me, maybe that's why it got here so quick.
Actually, I was slightly miffed that it took two days instead of one. :)
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I can't get anything across the city in two days! The only thing that arrives in two days over here is a bill. Your payment takes weeks!
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Hey very nice terrain ;D
wonderful figures ;D
great pictures ;D
a very inspiring table :-*
Piero